Campers
- Thread starter johnbryanpeters
- Start date
Top scientists warn of 'ghastly future of mass extinction' and climate disruption | Environment | The Guardian
Sobering new report says world is failing to grasp the extent of threats posed by biodiversity loss and the climate crisis<br>
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For those of us with a 9-5 the amount of time we have off, hotels are cheaper.
My overland rig
Just checked the R-Pod, battery monitor not on, turn off 120 VAC main, no 12 VDC in trailer.
Check battery box, which has managed to fill with water, overtopping the batteries, and freeze. Copper crimp-on terminals look somewhat reddish. Drill some small holes in box handles, some fluid drains, guessing it's some mixture of water and electrolyte.
Expansion of box and ice prevents removal to a warm place. Tuesday it's supposed to get up to close to 60 F, so we'll see.
Grrr...
Check battery box, which has managed to fill with water, overtopping the batteries, and freeze. Copper crimp-on terminals look somewhat reddish. Drill some small holes in box handles, some fluid drains, guessing it's some mixture of water and electrolyte.
Expansion of box and ice prevents removal to a warm place. Tuesday it's supposed to get up to close to 60 F, so we'll see.
Grrr...
Sealed AGM Batteries and you will not have that issue. Lifeline AGMs are the bet. These guys offer free shipping https://batteryguys.com/
I'm not convinced that they might remain happy if submerged.
Edit:
- And, $720, roughly twice the price, for capacity equivalent to what I have or had...
- And, shorter lifetime...
Last edited:
Seems like a couple small drain holes would have also prevented JBP’s ice block situation and would be a useful mod even with sealed AGM batteries.
Yup
My last set of Lifeline Group 31 AGMS lasted 10 years of hard use in temps from 0 degrees F to over 120F. I paid $650 for 2 in December
R-Pod batteries, continued:
Two crimp-on terminals corroded badly enough to disappear. Got the top ice out, put a charger on the batteries, we'll see what happens. These two T-105s were new in mid-June of 2018.
Two crimp-on terminals corroded badly enough to disappear. Got the top ice out, put a charger on the batteries, we'll see what happens. These two T-105s were new in mid-June of 2018.
Melting snowpack, I think.
I bet the water followed something in there like a wire or cable, I will typically make a short loop before I go in to a box of any kind.
Crimp-on terminals and at least an inch of wire were utterly gone in the two circled locations. Chipped the ice out, replaced the blue wire, and put my NOCO Genius G7200 battery charger to work. Some hours later, the two T-105 batteries seem to be taking a charge. It'll take a while to complete, nominal capacity is 225 Ah.
@gonefirefightin: all the leads are routed down exiting the box.
they are gone prob because it was shorting out when the water got to that level.
Yeah, I figure that electrolyte managed to percolate up through the vents. It's going to be interesting to see whether the batteries are damaged and if so how much.
My guess they will be fine, seems the battery box is probably flexible enough to allow sufficient expansion outwards rather than cracking the batteries, I think as long as they didnt get contaminated with water or crack they should be good to go.
thaw it now?
Service body and an Avion on an OBS Powerstroke.
I kinda wish it was an Alaskan camper though.
looks like he makes his living on the road...Service body and an Avion on an OBS Powerstroke.
I kinda wish it was an Alaskan camper though.
I'm pretty sure that you are correct. Analysis at this point is that water overtopped batteries and leaked into cells through vents, overflowing the cells. This let acid leach out, and positive terminal material plated onto negative terminals until the whole mess went open circuit.
I got one vent cap off, verified ice under. We have three days of serious thawing in progress, after which I should be able to remove the batteries, drill some drain holes in the case, and make a better determination of battery state.
I suspect that I'll be purchasing two new Trojan T-105s.
Thanks for the tip. I just bought two of these from batteryguys.com, only took a few days to get them from Arizona with free shipping. (These weigh around 70 lbs each, so the free shipping is a nice touch.) I went through some options but decided to get the same batteries I had before. They are zero-maintenance and I got more than 6 years out of the original set with pretty frequent use, which by all accounts is pretty good. Plus our van has a custom battery rack under the floor - these fit perfectly and other options would have required modification.
Bummer, At least you know they will be solid from here out and you know what to look for during the next snowpocolipse freeze over.
And I will drill drain holes in the case...
yer a fart smeller!
I am about to go full tard into solar on the coach, looking at close to 25k investment for true off grid capabilities.
Kind of want...
jalopnik.com
The Toppola Saab Camper Was A Brilliant Idea That Would Still Be Great Today
There’s never been a better time to get out and go camping somewhere than right now. It’s a chance to be socially distant somewhere that isn’t your house. For some, camping means buying a trailer, motorhome or a whole school bus. What if you could slide a camper into the back of your family...
jalopnik.com
sounds like @jbp should just sell it all and use the proceeds to create a sweet monkey compound here in the hills of nc where his batteries won't ice, he can ride sans fatbike 365, and be closer to other fam.
And in other news.......
www.thedrive.com
RV Driver Annihilates Their New Jeep Wrangler by Flat-Towing It in 4-Low
This is what a Jeep engine looks like when revved to 50,000 rpm.
www.thedrive.com
So awesome. Buddy of mine just bought a huge coach and will be flat towing his Jeep. Definitely sending this to him and his wife. 
my 48 super truss extension for towing my horse trailer with a weight distributing hitch ball assembly attached. approximately 140 pounds.
Ok, campground hooligans, what the absolute quietist gas generator powerful enough to run an air conditioner?
its a small ac, but still.
And no, it won’t be running if anyone is close enough to hear it, at least at night.
is there anything that operates under 50 db’s with that kind of power?
its a small ac, but still.
And no, it won’t be running if anyone is close enough to hear it, at least at night.
is there anything that operates under 50 db’s with that kind of power?